No Longer Alone
by Avatarcatz2323
Summary: Not long after Hat Kid and Snatcher become contractually obligated BFFs, Vanessa decides to exact revenge on both of them. Snatcher has a plan, but the cost may become steeper than he wants it to. Hat Kid just wants to help her BFF and of course gets more than she bargained for in the process. (Part 1 of A Hat in Time Tales!) (Rated T just in case) (Oneshot)


**A/N - This story and a couple others are also posted on Archive of Our Own:** /series/1465513

* * *

Vanessa rarely left her manor.

Really, she didn't have much reason to. It was her home, after all, and if she wasn't there, who would watch over and protect it from thieves and other intruders? Her headless statues did an alright job at keeping potential intruders away, but even they couldn't stop everyone.

So it was quite the surprise when a small, hatted _child_ dared enter Vanessa's dwelling and actually _escaped, _and with her new treasure no less!

It infuriated her, to put it lightly. The girl had managed to escape her claws every time she got close, and though Vanessa had enjoyed the hunt, her mirth had quickly switched to ire when the kid stole the shiny hourglass and got away. She would've made such a wonderful addition to her ice 'sculpture' collection, too! Vanessa's long, clawed fingers itched with cold magic just thinking about it.

She was now on her way to get both the treasure back and exact revenge on the little thief too.

_He _had always believed that she couldn't get across the broken bridge, but how wrong he was! He always underestimated her power, but then again, the only reason he sent the child to fetch the hourglass must have been because he was too frightened of Vanessa to get it himself.

That thought gave her great satisfaction, and her mouth curled upwards in a horrible smile. Snatcher had ruled over Subcon forest for long enough, anyway! It was time she took it all back; the kingdom that was _rightfully _hers, instead of that double-crossing, cheating liar of a shadow.

Her bright, red eyes narrowed slightly in concentration as ice shot from her hands, hitting the far edge of the bridge and solidifying towards her. She hadn't used quite this much magic at once in a while, and as such her work was messy. All well, it was functional, at least.

She stalked across the rigid, sprawled ice and was soon in Snatcher's forest. She looked around for a moment, taking in the sight of the dreary, spooky landscape, before she started along the trail that she knew led to his tree. She could sense his aura strong enough to know that he was in his house, and she could sense the little thief's light aura as well. This was perfect!

It was time to take back what was hers, for good.

* * *

"**Ugh, don't you get it, kid?" **Snatcher glared at Hat Kid, who was standing on the arm of his chair, and huffed in annoyance. **"I don't **_**want **_**you around! Scram!"**

She just let out a giggle and leaned on his arm to see his book, causing his eye to twitch at the unwanted contact. "Aw c'mon, BFF! I just wanna spend time with you~!"

Boy, was she infuriating. Instead of replying to her statement, he ignored her and lifted his arm quickly, causing her to lose her balance and wobble with a squeak of alarm. He laughed with amusement, but allowed her to regain her footing and give him one of those rather entertaining _looks._

He just grinned. **"Aw, c'mon!" **he mocked and laughed. **"I think you need balance lessons or something, kid. You're too unsteady on your feet!"**

Her stern look fizzled away and was replaced with a smirk. "Wanna give me lessons? You'd be a bad teacher but at least it'd be fun!"

Before he could reply, several panicking minions rushed into the tree.

"Boss! BOSS!"

"She's coming!"

"The-the bridge!"

"She iced over it!"

"Help!"

Snatcher attempted to shush their yelling, but their last few cries caught his attention and he stopped, alarm spiking the hair around his neck. **"She—are you sure?!"**

"Yeah! She's coming right to your house!"

"She'll be here any minute!"

He glanced down at Hat Kid—or he would have, if she was still there. Confused at her sudden disappearance, he drifted into the air and caught sight of her cowering behind his chair. He felt something in him soften at seeing her so scared, and the instinct to protect her suddenly sprung up in him.

He quickly shoved it down and turned back to the Subconites. **"Go and hide. I'll take care of the witch."**

Most of them instantly scrambled away, but a few stayed and looked at their boss with concern. "But what about you and the newbie?"

"**I can handle her, and I'll protect the brat," **Snatcher answered with finality. **"Now go!"**

The remaining minions nodded and left in a hurry, and a chill ran up Snatcher's back. He could feel her coming now, her cold, obsessive aura slowly approaching his home. He turned back to Hat Kid to see her hands trembling with fear still, but looking up at him with hope and a big smile.

"**... what?"**

"I knew you cared!" she cheered, suddenly jumping up and hugging him.

"**Gah! What?! No I don't!" **he backpedaled frantically, attempting to shove the stubborn child off of him. Dang, she had a strong grip. **"I just want you to die by **_**my **_**claws, and no one else's!"**

She only grinned up at him, easily seeing through his lies. "Psh, _suuuuuuure._"

Angered and intensely fighting a blush—_could_ he even blush?—he finally pried her off of himself and proceeded to set her down a good few feet away. **"Alright kid, we'll settle this later. For now, we have an ice witch to deal with."**

He couldn't miss the fear that returned in her turquoise eyes, and she suddenly wasn't quite so cheerful. "Okay… what can I do to help?"

He blinked in surprise. She wanted to help him? Well, alright. He wouldn't argue with that. **"We need to get her back to her manor and seal her up," **he said with a thoughtful frown. **"Perhaps we can lure her there, and then I can cast a spell on the bridge…"**

He suddenly looked at Hat Kid, and she felt dread form a tight pit in her stomach at his expression. "... what?"

He grinned, though worry knotted his insides. **"How do you feel about being bait, kiddo?"**

* * *

She was almost there. His tree was now just around the next bend, and—wait.

Snatcher was nowhere in sight despite his aura being near—probably hiding in the shadows like the coward he was—but that infernal child was there, standing in front of his tree looking all brave with a blue parasol resting on her shoulder.

Vanessa grinned a terrible smile, ignoring the fact that no one could see it thanks to her smokey appearance. She laughed lightly and Hat Kid's gaze snapped to her, fear spiking up in her eyes instantly.

"_**You forgot to say goodbye~"**_ she sing-songed softly, enjoying the visible shudder that overcame the child. _**"That was AWFULLY rude of you…"**_

Hat Kid couldn't help but fidget a little, staying put despite the instinct to just _run get out of here run away now! _She took a shaky breath and steeled her gaze, feeling chills run up and down her whole body. Vanessa was only a couple yards away now.

Suddenly, Hat Kid's vision shook and distorted, and a horrible noise overtook her ears. She cried out and nearly fell to her knees, and through the shaking she saw Vanessa charging towards her. Her red, glowing eyes cut through the blue-tinted darkness, and the terrified child could see the intense hunger burning in them.

Unable to stand her ground any longer, Hat Kid screamed and _ran. _Her altered vision made doing so difficult, however, and her foot snagged on a protruding root. She shouted in alarm as she caught herself, scuffing her hands a little in the dirt, but she got up and kept going with the ice witch hot on her tail.

Hat Kid's vision stopped shaking abruptly—enabling her to hop over another root—and though the noise continued, she knew that Snatcher was fighting Vanessa's magic to enable the small alien to stay out of her grasp.

"_**Come baaaack~" **_Vanessa called, a note of fury in her voice as the kid ran away. _**"Don't you want to play a game~?"**_

Hat Kid ignored her and kept running, leading Vanessa in what she hoped was a confusing pattern. Even with that, though, she could _feel _Vanessa gaining on her somehow, and the noise was becoming deafening. It hadn't been _this _bad in the manor!

The child running for her life covered her ears in an attempt to stifle the din, but that proved ineffective so she went back to pumping her arms instead. Snatcher had told her not to use her Sprint Hat or any of her hats for that matter—something about their magic?—but with how close Vanessa was getting…

A gigantic spike of ice suddenly erupted from the ground directly in front of Hat Kid, nearly impaling her as she skidded to a stop and bumped into it. Vanessa's laughter sliced through her panicked thoughts and she dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the witch's sharp claws as they gauged right through the ice instead. Hat Kid scrambled to her feet and kept running, trying not to hyperventilate as she donned her Sprint Hat; she didn't care that Snatcher told her not to use it. She had to get away!

The shaking of her vision was starting to come back—had Snatcher lost focus?—but the bridge was right there! Surely she could make it!

Except that, unknown to her, her hat's active magic interfered with Snatcher's, making the hidden shadow curse under his breath. He'd told the kiddo _not_ to use any of her hats! Though inwardly he couldn't blame her for wanting to stay as far from Vanessa as possible, Hat Kid's actions were making his plan all the more difficult. Especially since he could see that the deranged 'queen' was really giving it her all, accented by the fact she'd summoned an entire spike of ice to try and kill the child.

They were so close to the bridge now, but Snatcher couldn't help the worry gnawing at him. His plan required him to stay hidden until Vanessa was across the bridge, but that was getting more difficult to do now that she was so close to his—to **the **kid.

Speaking of which, Hat Kid was stumbling everywhere now that Snatcher's magic couldn't help her anymore. In the moment, she didn't connect the dots and panicked that he'd just abandoned her, but she could do nothing now but just run. Of course, the intense shaking and piercing noise made doing so _extremely _difficult, and the instant her boots met the ice of the 'fixed' bridge, she slipped into a faceplant.

She skidded and rolled to a stop, thankfully somehow sliding in a straight line across and onto the old stone bricks. Her momentum carried her into the snow and she groaned, completely overwhelmed with so much going on at once. Her face hurt from the fall, but that was the least of her problems as Vanessa's wispy shadow loomed over her.

Hat Kid tried to get up and screamed as smokey claws suddenly wrapped around her body, a finger pressed sideways against the front of her throat. Vanessa held her up in the air, glowing eyes blinding the poor child.

The noise and shaking thankfully stopped, but that was the last thing on the young alien's mind as she grasped at Vanessa's hand desperately to try and escape her grip. Her eyes were wide and full of fear, and she could feel just how utterly _cold_ the ex queen's fingers were even through her clothes, let alone on her skin.

"_**Give it back to me!" **_Vanessa shrieked, her own thrill of the hunt suddenly drowned by her obsession over what the child stole from her. Gone was the way-too-sweet and quiet voice she'd used before, replaced by a horrid, screeching tone that was nigh deafening.

Hat Kid jerked, way beyond terrified at this point because Snatcher had left her to die and she could feel the ice forming on her neck and it was so cold and no matter how _hard _she struggled she just _couldn't get away and it was so cold and this was the end—_

Vanessa shook Hat Kid harshly, bringing her panicked mind back to the witch's demand and making her hat fall off. _**"Give it to me NOW!"**_

"G-give wha—hrk!" Hat Kid's feeble attempt at stalling was cut off as Vanessa squeezed her throat between two of her long fingers, promptly denying her the ability to breathe in doing so. Her eyes went impossibly wide, complete horror and fear clouding her gaze as tears streamed down her cheeks and she choked.

Snatcher was nowhere in sight—why had she trusted him?! She inwardly berated herself for believing he would actually be true to his word, but then… it didn't really matter anymore, did it?

Ice continued to creep from Vanessa's fingers, and oh gosh she could _feel _it start to freeze through her actual skin. It was so agonizingly slow and painful, and no amount of struggling helped in the slightest. Not to mention, black spots were starting to dance in her vision, which she knew was a sign of getting dangerously close to passing out.

It was over.

Or at least, she was convinced it was over. But then she heard a thunderous warped roar and a horrifying layered shriek, and suddenly she was on the ground with_out_ Vanessa's hand squeezing the life out of her.

Now free to breathe, Hat Kid gasped and choked—part of her neck was still partially frozen, after all—as she lay helplessly on her back. Her hands flew to her neck and she flinched at the ice that greeted her fingers, and she barely mustered enough energy to roll onto her side to help herself breathe hopefully a little better.

Doing so did help some and she coughed and took in what breaths she could, now able to feel that her windpipe was mostly unfrozen. The dots cleared, and she continued to hold her neck gingerly as she finally looked up to see what the actual peck was going on.

The sight that greeted her was shocking, to say the least.

Snatcher was floating in the air—wait, he actually came!—and was doing his best to blast Vanessa to smithereens with his attacks, while she did what she could to skewer him with her magical ice spikes that erupted from the ground. Both shadows were so far beyond furious that it would've been funny if not for Hat Kid's current situation, and she instead found herself awed and scared at their epic displays of power.

They went at each other for several seconds longer, grazing the other a few times but never landing a solid hit, though it soon became clear that Snatcher had far more stamina than his ex. She was beginning to slow down, her form flickering now whenever an attack got too close, and though Snatcher looked tired he showed no signs of stopping.

Finally, he landed a hit and her screams rent the air, forcing Hat Kid to cover her ears in a desperate attempt to salvage her hearing and any miniscule chance at having good dreams that night. When the wisps of energy dissipated, Vanessa was doing a shadow's equivalent of stumbling. She raised a frail, shaking hand as though to send one last strike at him, but suddenly fell to the side and disappeared in an explosion of black smoke.

Snatcher searched the area she'd just occupied with his eyes for a moment, before snapping his attention to Hat Kid. He teleported over to her and gently scooped her into his arms, finding no joy now in her weak, startled gasp. **"Kiddo, are you alright? She didn't—"**

His eyes widened when he saw the ice coating the front of her throat, and Hat Kid reflexively covered it with her hands again. She knew it had to be bad to get such a startled reaction from him, and she suddenly felt afraid—though not of him. She looked away and swallowed with difficulty, still unable to take full breaths in her condition.

"**... hold on tight to me, kid." **His voice was more serious than she'd ever heard it. Snatcher held her close to his chest before diving into the ground and teleporting, grabbing her fallen hat as he did so.

She nearly yelped and clung to his mane, eyes widening in panic as everything went foggy and unstable. Then, as quickly as it warped, everything went back to normal and they were both in his tree. Snatcher swayed slightly from exhaustion and promptly sat in his chair, settling Hat Kid on his lap and supporting her head with one hand.

"**Alright, let me look at that…" **Snatcher stared down at her with very clear and very immense worry as he gently moved her remaining protective hand away, being unexpectedly gentle with her.

He could see it in her eyes; the worry and harrowing fear of death being near or at least lifelong injury. He was all-too familiar with it, and it twisted his nonexistent heart to see that expression on Hat Kid's face. She was normally so happy and annoyingly optimistic, but now as she stared up at him with tears flowing down her cheeks, all of that was gone and he felt no glee at her suffering.

He tore his attention away from her face so he could observe the damage Vanessa had done on her neck. Some colorful words flowed through his mind as he angrily thought of how long he'd taken to complete the binding spell and save his—_**the **_kid from the witch's claws, and while he was glad he'd made it in time, it was still infuriating that she'd managed to grab ahold of Hat Kid in the first place. Sure, she'd been the bait, but he hadn't meant for everything to go _that _far!

He huffed and focused, remembering that Hat Kid's life could still be in danger. Looking at her neck, he could clearly see that it was mostly on the surface, which was relieving. She'd get less hurt this way…

"**Kid, since her ice is magic-based, I can remove it with my own magic…" **He looked at her worried eyes with a sympathetic expression. **"... but it's gonna hurt and might leave a mark."**

He lifted a hand and summoned a small flame, and the confusion in Hat Kid's eyes turned to startled dread when she realized what he was implying. Wasn't there a better, not-so-painful way to do this?! She attempted to vocalize her question, but started coughing as her partially-frozen neck protested painfully.

"**I'm sorry, kiddo, but it's the only way to get rid of it." **Snatcher cringed at her coughing, reminded vividly of what Vanessa's foul magic felt like on his own skin when he was alive.

Hat Kid slowly relaxed, her expression one of acceptance as she nodded up at him reluctantly. She could see it in his glowing eyes how he hated to do this, which honestly caught her off guard. Didn't he usually enjoy it when she was in pain or struggling? Perhaps he was getting fond of her after all! The thought helped ease the tension that was pent up in her shoulders, and she managed a small smile up at Snatcher.

He seemed surprised by her smile, but wasted no more time. Eyes narrowed in concentration, he flicked his wrist and sent a small wave of magical blue flames across the kid's neck. She squeezed her eyes shut and flinched, expecting scalding pain, but was surprised when it hurt no more than burning her finger on the stove. Which, of course, still hurt quite a bit and she whimpered in response to the sting.

"**There. It's over, kiddo… all the ice is gone."**

His worried yet comforting voice coaxed her to open her eyes and feel her neck, and sure enough, the witch's ice was completely gone! Snatcher's magic had worked perfectly, though he'd had barely enough energy to muster the intense concentration and control needed in order to cause the least amount of damage possible and he now looked ready to faint.

Hat Kid slowly swallowed, relieved when doing so was uncomfortable but no longer difficult, and sat up in his arms. Gently touching where she'd previously felt ice, she winced a bit when the contact made her singed skin flare up a little.

"**So, uh… does it feel any better, ki—whoa!" **Snatcher was interrupted when Hat Kid suddenly hugged him, burying her face into his mane and audibly crying as she clung to him. He stiffened at the unwanted affection, but slowly put an arm around her to return the embrace at least somewhat. Only to compensate for her near death experience though, of course. Definitely not because this was the first act of genuine affection made towards him in centuries and his metaphorical heart was melting from a slew of emotions.

"Th-thank you," Hat Kid managed between sobs, finding comfort in his fluff and half-hug. "Thank you!"

Snatcher found himself smiling out of relief and happiness, and he patted her back gently. **"I suppose I should thank you as well, kid. Would've been much harder to lock her up without your being bait and all." **He was too proud to admit it, but Hat Kid's presence alone helped; it was harder to focus on your own fears when you had someone else to protect besides yourself.

Hat Kid giggled at his lack of tact in the situation, and she pulled back a bit so she could beam up at him. She sniffled and wiped her face with her sleeve, before grinning. "Always happy to help my BFF!"

The shadow scoffed and waved a hand dismissively, though he was smiling. **"Sometimes I'm appalled how you manage to include 'BFF' in every other sentence," **he teased as he picked up her top hat from the floor and put it on his own head with a smirk.

"Hey!" she shouted, straightening up and looking at him with playful determination. "Gimme that back or I'll turn you blue!"

"**Hahaha, like you even could!" **Snatcher ruffled her hair, enjoying her indignant swatting at his claws. **"That's an empty threat by now, kiddo. You need to learn when to let an old joke go!"**

Hat Kid snickered and smiled up at him, wiping her drying tears away. It then finally hit home that not only had he got himself exhausted and a bit hurt to protect her, but he'd gone out of his way to do what he could to heal Vanessa's damage to her and even comfort her. That alone proved beyond clarity that he didn't actually hate her, despite how much he acted like he did.

"**Whoa, uh, why are you crying again?" **Snatcher asked, invisible eyebrows raising as the child started to sniffle once more.

She smiled up at him and hugged him again. This time, he didn't stiffen as much. "... thanks, Snatcher. You're… you're a really good friend."

There was something in her tear-brimmed eyes that told Snatcher she wasn't saying what she entirely meant, but he knew better than to pry. After all, he didn't know the kid's history. He found himself smiling back at her and patted her back. **"You're not so bad yourself, kiddo."**

They were both hurt and exhausted, but they were safe with each other now, and their friendship was stronger than ever. Snatcher watched Hat Kid as she giggled and snuggled in the crook of his arm, fingers tangled in his fluffy mane. He wanted to shove her away and scold her for her show of affection, but the side of him that was fond of her overrode that and he ended up smiling tiredly and placing her hat back on her head.

Now that the action was over, they were both ready to collapse. The ghost of Subcon glanced at the entrance to his tree when he sensed a few of his minions approach, and despite them not having mouths, he could tell they were grinning at the sight before them. He sent them an annoyed look, but the little group of three just gave him a few thumbs-up and turned around to guard the tree. Their silent message was clear; they would keep watch in the forest so Snatcher and Hat Kid could rest.

He relaxed and smiled, relieved at the understanding his loyal subjects had of him, and looked down at the kid to check on her. He smirked at seeing she was already fast asleep, one hand still gripping his hair somewhat tightly.

Even though he didn't technically need to sleep, being a ghost and all, he still did it on occasion. He didn't know if it was out of habit from when he was alive or what, but he didn't mind. After all, it was nice to take a break from the world now and again.

So, filled with relief and happiness and glad that Vanessa was put back in her place—he was amused by the thought of how angry she'd be once she reformed and discovered his powerful barrier—he curled his arms a little tighter around Hat Kid and gradually fell into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

**A/N - Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you thought in a review, and stay on the lookout for more AHiT stories coming soon. ^^**


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